I have been thinking of doing a blog for quite some time. I love to write and used to write my family and friends what they called "books" of my life and things happening around me. I was always told that they were appreciated and anticipated. I want to bring encouragement to those around me, so that is what this will be about. You are my family and friends now. Hope you enjoy the "books".

Monday, March 21, 2011

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. The shield of faith. Jesus is our Savior. It is by faith in Him, that we have salvation and the hope of eternal life. He covers us with His Presence. We are shielded from the wiles and dangers of the enemy, because of His saving blood. Our faith in Him, gives us strength to lift up our shields, and fight the enemy with the Word of God.
I think I shared this already in another blog, but it fits here, too. I was being hit pretty hard by the enemy, getting beat up left and right. I was at a point when I was just hanging on to Jesus with my fingertips. I was standing as hard as I could in faith, knowing this battle was a heavy spiritual one, but one I had to win. I knew I needed to get to the tape player and get some worship music on, but all I could do was sit there and pray. I couldn't move. Kristine came home from school, and she saw where I was at, and she went immediately to the tape player and put on the praise and worship music. Within minutes of her putting on the music, I could move and I began to claim the promises of God. That was my shield of faith at the time, worship music. Believe me, the enemy ran. He had put all his energy into putting me down, but with just one act of faith, he was defeated. The flaming arrows he had been shooting my way, were deflected by my praising God. I stood up and declared that this was the day that the Lord had made, and I WOULD rejoice in it.
I was helped by Kristine. She lived up to her name and planted faith into that situation. I was freed from the chains the enemy had bound me up with, and folks, these were real spiritual chains. The enemy knew I had recognized his plans in some area, and I was doing spiritual warfare. This was his hardest hit, to keep me from going any further, but I was determined I wasn't going to give in, so I sat and prayed and stood my ground, until Jesus sent reinforcements. Sometimes, that is all we can do, is wait until He sends help our way. Just hold onto Him, and have faith to believe He will help you out of your distress.
A shield covers you from head to toe. Every part of you is covered from the enemy's weapons. They are vital in warfare. Today, shields are a bit different, but no less important. Spiritual shields are mighty to bring protection. Jesus covers you. He protects you. He gives you strength and power to go forward. Shields in real life could help that soldier move forward against the enemy, by using the shield as a thrust. It could be used as a weapon, and it could be used to blind the enemy. Jesus blinds the enemy for us. He covers us with His Power, so we are shielded and safe. I have heard of many missionary stories, where they were protected by angels, as the enemy surrounded them, and it was only later that they knew there had been angels there, because the people would ask them, "Who were those mighty men protecting you?" They knew they had been alone, except for God being there. They knew that God had protected them. This spiritual protection is real.
Allow Jesus to be your shield. Let Him cover and protect you. Let Him deflect those fiery darts. Let Him be a thrust to get you out of dangerous situations. He will guard and surround you with His army. Hallelujah, He is truly able to keep you. As our pastor said on Sunday, "He reigns". He truly does! God bless you with His awesome Presence.